Ghost Town

[Kurosawa Fan]

Trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ghosttown/)

This looks really lame. I expect more from Gervais than a retread of countless other movies.

[DSNT]

Looks very lame, but I'll probably see it for Gervais anyway.

[Amnesiac]

Yeah, I'm thinking that Gervais will likely elevate the seemingly banal material to 'worth-seeing' status.

[Stay Puft]

David Koepp. Yeesh.

[Acapelli]

so seeing the trailers on tv, i see they're using a beatles song

they can do that now?

[MadMan]

Pass.

[eternity]

David Koepp. Yeesh.Yeah.

[transmogrifier]

Yeah.

Stir of Echoes = greatness.

That is all.

[Sycophant]

Had a dream last night that I saw this and it was colorful and really good. Then I woke up. Still looks bland.

[Dead & Messed Up]

You know you've made it in Hollywood when you get the privilege of starring in a predictable, high-concept studio safety net.

[Henry Gale]

I was fairly impressed by this, I must say. It's obviously predictable and very mainstream for the most part, but the actors (mostly Gervais and Leoni) really make it extremely enjoyable and heartfelt all the way through.

Even Koepp's writing is memorable in spots (making this the only thing I've really enjoyed by him since Panic Room) and though he doesn't have a very distinguished style here, his direction with the actors and otherwise is still strong. There isn't much else to say here, the movie is just likable more than anything else and I wish it had done better even if it is the weakest thing Gervais has been a lead in (obviously).

It is another movie though where I wonder here and there why these type of ghosts walk right through doors and walls but are pretty fortunate with building floors or anything that isn't concrete below them.

[Amnesiac]

I was fairly impressed by this, I must say. It's obviously predictable and very mainstream for the most part, but the actors (mostly Gervais and Leoni) really make it extremely enjoyable and heartfelt all the way through.

Agreed. I was right in thinking that Gervais was capable of elevating the previously tread upon concept to something worth watching. And Tea Leoni, in probably the first movie I've seen her in since the abysmal Jurassic Park III, actually did a really good job...



There isn't much else to say here, the movie is just likable more than anything else and I wish it had done better even if it is the weakest thing Gervais has been a lead in (obviously).

Agreed. The film was wrestling with cliche material but Gervais knew exactly how to give it a spark of energy with his admirable and funny performance. He manages to resuscitate the generic conventions that bind the film in cliche and gives it a touch of freshness. His delivery, as always, was impeccable. And, yeah, it helped that the rest of the cast was pretty much up to par. It's not an incredible movie by any means but it has an agreeable balanced quality to it: its both effectively sweet and occasionally hilarious. Gervais as redeemed misanthrope is a plot that happens to really work here.

Oh, and I really enjoyed that hail sequence for some reason.



It is another movie though where I wonder here and there why these type of ghosts walk right through doors and walls but are pretty fortunate with building floors or anything that isn't concrete below them.

Yeah, I think this is the inevitable quandary with (mostly comedic) films that deal with ghosts. This popped into my head the second I saw Greg Kinnear take a seat on a stool next to Gervais. Necessary generic convention, I guess. Otherwise, we'd have our friendly ghost characters plummeting to the centre of the Earth. Or floating.

And as an aside, I can't shake the feeling that I've seen that 'we sneeze when ghosts walk through us' logic used in another film.

[Milky Joe]

My friend said this was great, so I'll be seeing it.

[Spinal]

Thanks so much for the rec on this, KF. I likely would have ignored it otherwise. This movie is good. Maybe very good. Though it is basically a formulaic romantic comedy, it works because Gervais keeps things honest and unpredictable with his choices and his cadence. I don't know if any of this is ad-libbed, but he does not have a writing credit and yet it sounds like Ricky Gervais. The more I think about it, the more I think it is a pretty extraordinary performance, though not one that is likely to get much attention. There is something compelling about a fairly vocal atheist appearing as the central character in a film where he talks to ghosts and they discuss such familiar Hollywood spiritual ideas such as "unfinished business". And it is largely this inherent tension between the script's feel-good aspirations and Gervais' witty cynicism that makes the film ultimately both palatable and moving. By the time the heartfelt ending comes, I felt as if the film had certainly earned it.

Tea Leoni is also excellent, although her attraction to Gervais' dentist character never makes a whole lot of sense. Still, watch her reaction as Gervais reveals to her the piece of information that will make her believe his wild story. Amazing. All this and Kristen Wiig has a few scenes with Ricky Gervais and it turns out about as awesome as you might expect. Although he's not necessarily bad, they could have improved upon Greg Kinnear. For some reason, his presence alone makes a film feel kind of low rent. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway, good stuff.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Awesome. Glad you enjoyed it. I avoided it for a long time because I figured it was going to be bad based on the trailer and a few friends opinions. Now I find myself switching over to it when I see it playing on one of the movie channels.

And totally agree about Leoni's moment at the end of the film. Her reaction, as well as their final exchange before it fades to black was really impressive.

[Robby P]

I also thought Kinnear detracted from what was otherwise an enjoyable movie.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I also thought Kinnear detracted from what was otherwise an enjoyable movie.

I'd probably agree with this. Or at least, I think they could have cast someone more enjoyable in his role, but I'm not sure I'd go so far as to say he detracted from the film. At least not significantly.

[Mara]

Overall, I think this film was okay.

But the scene where Gervais goes back to the hospital to try and find out what happened and the doctor keeps talking over him was really excellent.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Overall, I think this film was okay.

But the scene where Gervais goes back to the hospital to try and find out what happened and the doctor keeps talking over him was really excellent.

That's Kristen Wiig. Everything she does is excellent.

[Spinal]

It's amazing how long they are able to sustain that scene and keep it funny. An exciting collision of talent.